'Abbott Elementary' star Tyler James Williams squashes "dangerous" speculation about his sexuality

Actor and director Tim Robbins has been outspoken when it comes to criticizing former president Donald Trump, but little did he know when he took a photo with a fan at the airport, he was posing with a major Trump supporter. Nick Adams, self-proclaimed "alpha male" whose Twitter bio says "Best selling author endorsed by President Trump" (as well as "Australian by birth; American by choice") posted a smiling picture with Robbins on May 19 with the caption, "Hanging out with Tim Robbins at JFK."

A day later, Robbins retweeted Adams and clarified, "Not ‘hanging out’. Dude asked for a picture. I obliged. He left." Cringeworthy enough already, Twitter's fact-checking feature then hilariously added a context box below Adams' tweet that reads, "According to Tim Robbins, they were not hanging out. When asked to take a photo, Robbins obliged." If it wasn't clear before that Robbins has absolutely no desire to be associated with a Trump-supporting, so-called "alpha male," it certainly is now.

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Go with the joke -

Seth Rogen was embroiled in a viral TikTok conspiracy in which user @chriscanbefunny shared a short music video questioning why he'd seen a lot of photos of the comedian's impressive vases, but not any recent photos of Rogen's face. Chris sings, "I have a pretty crazy hypothesis that Seth was kidnapped by a shady ceramicist, who has him tied up, completely incapacitated," and was tweeting from Rogen's account. Chris clarifies that he isn't doubting Rogen's skills as a ceramicist, but just wants to check on him. Rogen tweeted the video out and wrote, "This video is very funny and not at all true! I have not been kidnapped! This is not a kidnapper writing this from Seth's account! I promise!"

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Be extremely honest - In a game of "Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts," James Cordon asked the fashion icon, Anna Wintour, about the rumor that she'd dated Bob Marley, specifically how he was in bed. "Fake news, I've never met Bob Marley." Disappointed, Corden asked if she would've slept with him if she did meet him. "Absolutely," she said.

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Re-write headlines - After rumors of her breakup with Cole Sprouse hit the headlines, 'Riverdale' star Lili Reinhart posted a photo on Instagram captioned, "BREAKING: A reliable source has confirmed that none of you know [ ]."

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Re-write headlines - The other 'Riverdale' star did the same, and wrote, "UNPRECEDENTED: Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart consume the flesh of 'reliable sources' to fuel their bacchanalian ... cult."

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Wish that the rumors were true - Breakup rumors spread after a headline announced that Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively were "struggling to spend quality time" together. In the playful spirit of their relationship (and tendency to troll each other), Reynolds retweeted the article, adding, "I wish. I could use a little 'me time.'"

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Poke holes in the grammar - Entertainment Weekly later published a headline that read "Ryan Reynolds joins Blake Lively and his mom on red carpet after shutting down split rumors," and Reynolds tweeted back, "We're never splitting. She'll always be my mom. No matter how much jazz-cabbage she smokes with her rollerblading friends."

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Make things awkward - When a commenter wrote "[You] pregnant" on a photo of Tiffany Haddish at the Golden Globes, she had the perfect reply: "No just getting fat."

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Use it as promotion for your work - When gossip swirled in March 2019, Gaga tweeted, "Rumors I'm pregnant? Yeah, I'm pregnant with #LG6," referring to her new album.

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Publicly ridicule them back - In 2017, false reports claimed Zendaya and Tom Holland were dating. She tweeted at Holland, "Wait wait…my favorite is when it says we go on vacations together HA! I haven't been on a vacation in years!" to which he replied, "Does the press tour count?"

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Post a reaction video - The couple was surprised to read that they had broken up and made an Instagram video where Kutcher asks what's going on, and Kunis, reading from the cover, reports, "It's over between us," as well as the fact that she apparently felt suffocated, and also took the kids.

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Announce bigger news - Marion Cotillard shut down rumors that she was the reason Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were getting a divorce with a simple Instagram post that revealed that she's pregnant with her and her husband's second child. "To those who have indicated that I am devastated, I am very well thank you."

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Display general confusion - Several tabloids claimed the singer tried to insure her famous derriere. But on James Corden's show 'Carpool Karaoke' she was just incredibly confused, and wondered aloud what it could be insured for exactly. In case "it disappears, somebody steals it?"

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Be a better journalist - Jennifer Aniston famously penned an open letter in the Huffington Post that was so eloquent and biting on the topic of gossip news that tabloids thought twice before guessing if she was pregnant again (though they did anyway).

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Create some new content - Sarah Hyland got back at Life & Style Magazine after they wrote she had "work done." The actress posted a picture of herself wearing a facial mask, and tweeted at them: "Got some work done tonight. Going for a new look... gonna write about this now?"

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Tear the publication to pieces - When Sofia Vergara read that her marriage to Joe Manganiello was ending due to an affair, she took to social media to call the editor an "idiot" and call the publication out for editing her ring off her finger.

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Sarcastically confirm the rumors - Sometimes the best way of denying something is to confirm it! Oliver Hudson, brother of Kate, addressed rumors that his sister was dating Brad Pitt by writing a long, mocking paragraph confirming the rumors, adding outlandish details including that Pitt goes to the bathroom with the door open.

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Thank them for the news - When rumors surfaced of Chris Hemsworth and his wife Elsa Pataky splitting, the 'Thor' actor posted a photo of himself on a boat looking out into the distance, with his wife beside him, and wrote, "Looking for a new wife" along with the hashtag #thanksfortheheadsup.

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Publicly confront the others involved - Following rumors that John Legend was caught cheating on Chrissy Teigen with a girl in a bathroom, the hilarious Twitter queen wrote, "[John Legend] my tummy hurts and I think it's the chicken you made me last night are you trying to kill me so u can be with your bathroom GF?"

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Blame Ryan Seacrest - When pregnancy buzz began about Giuliana Rancic, married to Bill Rancic, she blamed her fellow E! Host. "I bet Ryan Seacrest started the rumor," she said. "And now when I do get pregnant, no one will care."

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Share passive aggressive punctuation -

"No I'm not pregnant." Kim Kardashian West said in an angry four-word tweet, which ended in a purposeful period.

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Recruit your mom - "I'm here to clear the rumors up. The truth is that it's not Beyoncé that's pregnant. It's me," Tina Knowles told Ellen DeGeneres in 2010, addressing premature reports that her daughter and Jay-Z were expecting. "I'm kidding y'all," she clarified.

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Virtually yell at people - Fans assumed Camila Cabello was pregnant when she posted a photo in which her hand was resting on her stomach. The singer cleared the air in the comments: "Guys, don't be crazy. I'VE BEEN TOURING AMERICA EATING DELICIOUS FOODS LEAVE ME AND MY BELLY ALONE!"

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Use it as a chance to brag - After false reports claimed Dakota Johnson was expecting, following photos from her birthday party at which there happened to be pink and blue balloons, the actress told Ellen DeGeneres, "The only thing I'm pregnant with is a lot of really good ideas. But not any babies."

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Arm yourself with memes - After speculation about her weight gain and general body-shaming, RiRi responded in the most hilarious way. She posted a meme with two photos of rapper Gucci Mane, saying "If you can't handle me at my 2007 Gucci Mane, You don't deserve me at my 2017 Gucci Mane."

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Tell everyone what's really in the belly - Pregnancy rumors erupted after Halle Berry stepped out in a form-fitting dress and put her hands on her belly, but the actress was quick to clarify that it was a food baby. "Can a girl have some steak and fries??" she captioned an Instagram photo.

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Get ahead of them - Anne Hathaway has been subject to many rumors in the past, and she learned a few things along the way. When she was gaining weight for a role, she explained it on Instagram before the rumors could even spread.

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Meme-ify yourself - After a tabloid reported Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth might be expecting, around the same time that the world record egg became the most-liked Instagram of all time, Cyrus used a timely meme and tweeted, "I'm not 'egg-xpecting' but it's 'egg-celent' to hear everyone is so 'happy for us'… we're happy for us too!"

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Double-check with the other people involved - When rumors started circulating that Jessica Biel was pregnant, she called her husband Justin Timberlake just to make certain she wasn't, she told Ellen DeGeneres. "I was like, 'Are we [having another baby]? No. Oh, okay, cool,'" she joked. "He usually knows more than I do about everything."

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Shame everyone by merely being a good person - Gaga has been subject to a lot of rumors, and some even went so far as to claim she had male genitalia, but she took the opportunity to spread positivity: "I heard my body is a topic of conversation so I wanted to say, I'm proud of my body and you should be proud of yours too. No matter who you are or what you do."

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Create a catchy new slogan -

When someone commented on Cardi B's photo about a potentially hidden pregnancy, the rapper wrote back, "No [ ] I'm just getting fat. Let me fat in peace." T-shirts with that phrase were made shortly after.

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Make use of Twitter's fact-checker -

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Go with the joke -

Getty Images

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Re-write headlines - The other 'Riverdale' star did the same, and wrote, "UNPRECEDENTED: Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart consume the flesh of 'reliable sources' to fuel their bacchanalian ... cult."

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Make things awkward - When a commenter wrote "[You] pregnant" on a photo of Tiffany Haddish at the Golden Globes, she had the perfect reply: "No just getting fat."

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Use it as promotion for your work - When gossip swirled in March 2019, Gaga tweeted, "Rumors I'm pregnant? Yeah, I'm pregnant with #LG6," referring to her new album.

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Share passive aggressive punctuation -

"No I'm not pregnant." Kim Kardashian West said in an angry four-word tweet, which ended in a purposeful period.

Getty Images

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Create a catchy new slogan -

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'Abbott Elementary' star Tyler James Williams squashes "dangerous" speculation about his sexuality

Check out the genius ways celebrities have shut down rumors

05/06/23 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Funny

Getting caught in the Hollywood rumor mill is probably the worst part about being famous. From bitter claims made about looks to completely fictitious assumptions about loved ones, nothing is sacred.

'Abbott Elementary' star Tyler James Williams kicked off Pride Month by addressing rumors around his sexuality with an impressively sharp critique of the very speculation itself. "Usually I wouldn't address stuff like this, but I feel like it as a conversation is bigger than me," Williams began a message he posted to his Instagram stories. "I'm not gay, but I think the culture of trying to 'find' some kind of hidden trait or behavior that a closed person 'let slip' is very dangerous."

"Overanalyzing someone's behavior in an attempt to 'catch' them directly contributes to the anxiety a lot of queer and queer-questioning people feel when they fear living in their truth," he explained. "It makes the most pedestrian of conversations and interactions in spaces feel less safe for our gay brothers and sisters and those who may be questioning." He added that the speculation also reinforces limiting and "unrealistic" archetypes for straight men, the very same archetypes he is using his platform to push against. "Being straight doesn't look one way. Being gay doesn't look one way."

"And what may seem like harmless fun and conversation may actually be sending a dangerous message to those struggling with real issues," he wrote. "I refuse to inadvertently contribute to that message." Williams wished everyone a happy Pride and vowed to continue his work as an ally.

Celebrities are constantly bombarded with their own personalized fake news, and it can be hard to catch your footing. Fortunately, many stars have developed some pretty entertaining ways of addressing these wild accusations, using their fame to share some legendary clapbacks, important lessons for society, and to just generally poke fun at ridiculous headlines.

Check out some of the most brilliant and hilarious tactics celebrities have used to shut down rumors.